Engelska

The football World Cup is the biggest sporting competition on Earth - a chance every four years for the greatest players to win international glory, and a month-long media spectacle that's watched by an audience of billions. But the tournament has changed beyond recognition since the inaugural event in Montevideo, Uruguay, in July 1930. What was once a semi-professional meeting beset by haphazard play has evolved to become a game of multinational buyouts, dubious ethics and questionable aims - and the new era of football has much to tell us about the globalised world. Simon Kuper is among the vanishingly small number of writers who have attended every World Cup since 1990. The World at My Feet is his journey to find the heart of football, through the nine tournaments he's experienced first-hand - from watching matches in half-empty stands during Italia 90, a tournament that at times felt like a village fete, to witnessing the French triumph at home in 1998, South Africa's national dream in 2010 and the troubling legacy of Qatar 2022. Told on the pitch and in the stands, and in the pubs, front rooms and on the streets, this is the story of how football has changed the world.

<strong>A mind-bending adventure the whole family will enjoy!</strong><br/><br/>Packed with amazing trivia, weird world records, and mind-blowing facts, this book is perfect for curious kids, trivia-loving teens, and even grown-ups who can't resist a quirky fact or two.<br/><br/><strong>A must read for all curious minds!</strong><br/><br/>Discover the fastest, slowest, oldest, and weirdest things on Earth-and beyond!<ul><li>Which volcano has been erupting for over 2,000 years?</li><li>Are spiders faster than Usain Bolt? <em>(you will never look at your house spiders in the same way again!).</em> </li><li>Where's the coldest place life can survive?</li><li>Which creature has the longest neck <em>(and no, it's not a giraffe)?</em> </li><li>What are the smallest known things to exist?</li></ul><br/><br/>Whether you're sharing hilarious facts around the table, keeping the kids entertained and off screens, or wowing your friends with your trivia skills, this book is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.<br/><br/>Perfect for;<br/><br/><strong>Gifts for kids (aged 8+) teens, and adults.</strong><br/><br/><strong>Families looking to keep eyeballs off screens and brains switched on.</strong><br/><br/><strong>Trivia buffs, fact lovers, and anyone who enjoys learning something new.</strong><br/><br/>Discover the World's Wildest and Wackiest Wonders - One Fascinating Fact at a Time!

<b><i>Educated </i></b><b>meets <i>The Queen's Gambit</i> in this extraordinary memoir by International Master and Chess.com co-founder Danny Rensch, who describes his upbringing in an abusive cult - and how chess ended up saving his life</b><br/><br/>Born into the Church of Immortal Consciousness, Danny Rensch spent his childhood navigating the isolated confines of a cult. Despite psychological manipulation, physical abuse, and neglect, he persevered. An international chess master and world-class commentator, Rensch's remarkable journey led him to being the face of Chess.com, one of the largest online gaming platforms in the world.<br/><br/>With unflinching honesty, Rensch recounts his life, starting from the moment he discovered chess in the summer of 1995, all the way up to being at the center of the most explosive cheating scandal in chess history.<br/><br/>He chronicles the traumas of being "special" in a cult that forced separation from his mother. Mentored by an alcoholic, Russian chess master, he found solace alongside suffering in his obsession for an ancient game, and chess became his only escape. Rensch rose through the chess ranks until a medical emergency nearly took him out of the game forever. And it almost did, until Chess.com came along.<br/><br/>Deeply heartfelt, keenly reflective, and haunting, <i>Dark Squares</i> is the never-before-told story of Danny Rensch's resilience, survival, and his enduring love for the game that saved him.